The Importance of Pit Safety & Clean Vehicles - 06 Sep
WHY FLEETS AND WORKSHOPS NEED TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT VEHICLE CLEANING
It may not be the most exciting part of managing a fleet — but cleaning your vehicles is an essential part of regular maintenance.
And you might not realise just how important it is.
Here’s what you need to know about keeping your fleet in top condition — from safer driving and lower costs, to the way your teams and your customers see your business.
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CLEAN VEHICLES ARE SAFER VEHICLES
Keeping your vehicles in top condition can have a huge effect on the safety of your fleet — from your brakes and your steering to your tyres and suspension.
But the cleanliness of your vehicle can also have an impact on how safe you are on the road. And it’s an easy one to overlook:
Your windscreens and wing mirrors need to be spotless to give your drivers the best possible view of the road and other vehicles. Even a small build-up of dirt in a single location could create a blind spot that causes an accident.
Similarly, the cleanliness of your vehicles can have an effect on how visible your vehicles are to other drivers. With dirt and grime on some of your most crucial areas — such as your headlamps, brake lights, and indicators — it becomes harder for other road users to see both your vehicles, and the decisions that your drivers are making.
But it’s not just about the safety of vehicles on the road. Your drivers themselves have their own safety concerns inside the vehicle, too:
Without regular and thorough cleaning of your vehicles, you’re creating the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mould, which can lead to a risk of respiratory problems for your drivers over the long term — especially when it comes to a neglected AC system.
So as well as the standard cleaning you’d expect on the outside, your vehicles need a regular and hygienic clean of the inside — ideally using a dedicated air conditioning disinfection system.
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CLEAN VEHICLES LIVE LONGER
Any commercial vehicle that spends time out on the road gets put through some serious punishment over its lifetime. But we’re not just talking about bumps and scrapes — we’re talking chemical corrosion and slow decay. Between dirt and dust and salt and water (and every other chemical that’s out on the roads and in the air), the surface of your vehicles gets more contaminated with every mile you drive. And when those chemicals and minerals get left uncleaned, they act like sandpaper — progressively corroding the protective paint and vulnerable components that are exposed to the elements.
So what does that mean for your vehicles in the long run?
It means more frequent repairs, more time out of service, and significantly higher costs that come with extra maintenance and continual repair.
Now here’s the good news:
All of that can be avoided (or significantly delayed), with regular cleaning of the outside of your vehicles.
For the most part, it’s as simple as spending some time in the wash bay, with a thorough cleaning of the body and paint to remove as many impurities as possible.
But some of the worst damage happens on the undercarriage of your vehicles — which is why a wash bay-ready vehicle lift can make a huge difference to the life expectancy of your fleet.
With a galvanised vehicle lift that’s IP-rated for wet conditions, you can give your commercial vehicles the complete 360° clean they need — so they can stay healthy and protected from top to bottom, and stay out on the road for as long as possible.
And as a welcome bonus:
Once you get into the habit of regular cleaning, you’re automatically getting into the habit of regular inspections. With a close eye on your vehicles checking the details every week, your teams can spot potential issues at an early stage — helping you to save money on your maintenance and repairs before they spiral into costly bigger problems.
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CLEAN VEHICLES SEND THE BEST IMAGE
As if the long life and safety of your vehicles wasn’t enough, there’s a whole other aspect to keeping a clean fleet that isn’t obvious:
And that’s the way you present your business and its reputation.
Every vehicle on the road is an advert for your brand. It’s a representation of your company and its teams, and the values and work ethic that you all work hard to preserve. So, when you’re sending out a fleet that looks grubby and neglected, people will notice — and they’ll assume that your company is just as grubby as your vehicles. But with a committed and disciplined cleaning schedule for your fleet, that’s exactly the message you’ll send to your customers:
They’ll see your company as committed and disciplined — as an organised business that’s on top of every area of its equipment and its operations. And that’s the sort of image that makes your company seem trustworthy.
But beyond the customers themselves, you’re also sending a message to your drivers and your teams:
A clean fleet gives your employees an orderly working environment. It shows that you care about the health and safety of your teams while they’re working — and it gives them an extra sense of self-respect and pride while they’re out there representing your company.
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READY TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT CLEANING YOUR FLEET?
Whether you’ve got a handful of vehicles or a fleet of a hundred, you need to make sure you’re keeping them in top condition.
And if you want to make your vehicle cleaning as efficient as possible, you’ll need the right equipment to help you get the job done properly.
So whether you’re shopping for a vehicle lift that works in a wash bay — or you need an affordable and compact mobile vehicle wash — take a look through our online shop, or talk to one of our experts to help you find what you need.
THE 5 SAFETY FEATURES THAT EVERY VEHICLE INSPECTION PIT NEEDS
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Workshops used to have their doubts about vehicle pits back in the day.
But today’s technology has come a long way — and so has the industry’s approach to health and safety.
Modern vehicle pits come with a multitude of safety features and evolved designs. And with the right understanding of what to look for, you can make sure you’re investing in the best possible installation for your premises.
Here’s what you need to know about today’s vehicle pits — and the modern safety features that make them more attractive than ever before:
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1.? MARKINGS AND SIGNAGE
Just like any workshop equipment, a vehicle pit comes with some risk. But a large chunk of those risks can easily be mitigated with one simple precaution:
Creating awareness.
Any high-quality vehicle pit that’s installed by a reputable supplier will come with markings and signage as standard — with the aim of making it almost impossible for your teams to ignore the location of your pit (and the hazardous areas that come with it).
So what does that mean in practice?
It means making sure you’re choosing a pit that’s installed with:
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2.? PIT COVERS
When we think about safety, it’s easy to focus on an inspection pit as it’s being used: the vehicles driving into position, and the technicians climbing in and out.
But an unused pit is easier to overlook. Without the activity and movement of being physically occupied, an empty pit is harder to notice — and that can lead to complacency and reduced awareness from your teams.
So what’s the solution?
As well as visual signs and markers, you can add physical barriers to keep your pit safe when it’s not in use.
The best vehicle inspection pits come with options for robust pit covers — a temporary ‘floor’ that slides into position to create a sturdy platform for your technicians to step on.
With the right pit cover in place, there’s effectively zero chance that anyone can take a misstep. And with options for pit covers that can comfortably hold the weight of a person, your teams can use the pit cover while they’re servicing vehicles — so they can carry out work at ground-level without the need to reposition the vehicle.
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3.? GUARDRAILS AND CHAINS
Markings and signage are an essential visual warning for any pit installation. But for an extra level of safety, the best pits will come with options for physical boundaries, as well as visual ones.
When your teams are distracted or busy and stressed, they might not always notice high-visibility paint and signs. But with the added precaution of guardrails and chains around the edges of your pit, they’ll get a tactile reminder that can’t be ignored.
(And if they’re moving at speed from a trip or a fall, a guardrail or a chain can physically catch them in a way that warning signs wouldn’t.)
But these physical barriers aren’t just important for the edges of the pit. They’re essential for any steps, ladders, or bridges that come with your pit — to ensure the safety of your teams as they carry out movements in their most vulnerable positions.
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4.? ANTI-SLIP SURFACES
No matter how well you train your staff (and how carefully they carry out their work), there’s always a chance of a slip or trip. And in an environment where liquids and oils can leak or spill at any time, it’s crucial to do what you can to make every step as safe as possible.
That’s why every high-quality pit installation will come with anti-slip textures on as many surfaces as possible — both around the edges of the pit itself, and on every ladder and set of stairs that your teams use.
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5.? LIGHTING
Just like any other working area where you need precision and accuracy, the right lighting in an inspection pit is essential to safe working.
But it’s not just about creating a well-lit area to help your teams move safely and see the job at hand:
It’s about choosing the kinds of lights that are safe for use in a contained area.
A vehicle pit is a restricted space that doesn’t always have the same ventilation as the ground-level spaces in your workshop. That means you need to choose lights that are suitable for potentially flammable or explosive environments.
That’s why our Vehicle Inspection Pits comes with low-heat LED lighting, with an IP rating that makes them resistant to water and particles — so your teams can work safely in the restricted area below ground in your pit.
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READY TO SEE HOW SAFE A PIT CAN BE?
No matter where you go for your workshop’s new pit, you should always be looking for the highest level of safety features — from a reputable supplier that’s experienced with installations.
And lucky for you, we’ve got both of those right here.
Our Vehicle Inspection Pits are some of the safest around, with all the modern safety features you’d expect from a commercial piece of kit. And our dedicated teams have successfully carried out countless installations of vehicle pits for workshops and fleet operators just like you — with safety and efficiency as our top priority.
So if you’re looking for an upgrade for your premises — or you just want to know more about vehicle pits — get in touch with one of our experts and we’ll show you exactly what a modern pit can do.